Promoting a culture of life that honors God’s creation from conception until natural death is part of our Catholic identity. Over the next several weeks, as we celebrate the month of Mary and mothers, and into June where we recognize fathers, our OLBS Respect Life Ministry will be highlighting agencies that help promote this culture of life. Stay tuned to OLBSEGV.org, bulletin, eNews and pulpit announcements for opportunities to participate in bringing the preciousness of life into the collective consciousness as we celebrate a Season for Life…
Throughout a Season for Life, please look for collection bins and wish lists in our vestibules. We will be collecting items to support partner agencies as well as ministries right here at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament working to promote a culture that protects life from conception until natural death.
Catholic Charities. We are the face of hope! Did you know that every 30 seconds someone comes to Catholic Charities in need of help? Established in 1917, Catholic Charities Chicago is one of the largest non-profit, social services agencies in the Midwest. They operate 153 programs from 150 locations across Cook and Lake Counties to help those most in need without regard to race, religion or background.
OLBS Good Samaritans. Once a month, parishioners from OLBS Good Samaritan Ministry bring and serve dinner for Catholic Charities guests in Des Plaines. Before March of 2020, the average attendance was between 50 and 60 guests. Over the course of the pandemic that attendance has continued to trend up. Thanks to your generous donations to the Poor Box, OLBS is currently helping to feed 150 guests per month. Discover more (scroll down to Good Samaritan Ministry).
TLC Pregnancy Services. Our support saves. TLC is a multi-service facility reaching out to the community with the love of Christ, bringing light to the darkness. They provide free medical, material, emotional & spiritual support to local women facing unplanned pregnancy situations. Financial and in-kind gifts have helped TLC not only keep its doors open during this challenging time, but expand to 3 locations and a mobile unit. They are reaching more women than ever.
Celebrate Life. A young woman and her two-year old son came into TLC’s Schaumburg location. The little boy was very polite and you could tell he was very well cared for. His mom had just moved back to Illinois from another state and was living with a friend. Upon returning, she got together with her old boyfriend and became pregnant. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Not only was she now unexpectedly pregnant, but she had also learned her boyfriend got married after they got back together and then, a few weeks later, had been shot and killed. Read this young lady’s complete story.
Illinois Right to Life. More than 10,000 lives saved, and they’re just getting started! A non-profit using a grass-roots approach to creating a culture of life in Illinois through education, research, legislation and support to men and women in unplanned or crisis pregnancy situations. Project Love is a grant program of Illinois Right to Life, founded in 1996 by the late Mary Bliss to support women through unplanned or crisis pregnancies. Many grant recipients are facing eviction, large medical bills, or are about to have their heat or water shut off. Project Love extends a helping hand to those families in need.
Meet Tanya. Tanya worked as a caregiver for an elderly patient, but when she was seven months pregnant, she could no longer continue to work. Just before her baby was due, Tanya fell behind on paying her rent and was left with no money to buy food. With an empty fridge and bills piling up, Tanya called Illinois Right to Life for help. See how Project Love helped Tanya.
The Women’s Center. Supporting the Women’s Center can help provide answers…and hope as it has done for more than 63,000 clients over the past 30 years. Facing an unplanned pregnancy can be extremely stressful. Women may experience feelings of panic. Maybe they don’t have anyone to confide in or don’t know where to go for help. The Women’s Center is here for them and cares about the physical and emotional health of each one of its clients. Free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds and free supportive counseling.
Hannah B. says the person she spoke with was very good at listening. Read Hannah’s and other’s testimonials.
Project Rachel. After more than four decades of legalized abortion, many children’s lives have been ended, and many parents and family members suffer that loss—often in silence. Yet God’s greatest desire is to forgive. No matter how far we have strayed from His side, He says to us, “Don’t be afraid. Draw close to my heart.”
Meet Karen. She is 23 years old and finished college last year and landed the job of her dreams in graphic arts. The work is creative and challenging. Karen is pretty and has many friends so she is frequently included in the party circuit at work. She should be happy and excited. After all, her life is beginning just as she carefully planned it. But instead, she feels dead and dull inside. She keeps up with her job, but it doesn’t bring the joy she thought it would. She feels distant from its satisfactions. She doesn’t feel as creative as she once was, and doesn’t understand the dull distant sorrowing she feels despite her accomplishments. Karen had an abortion in college. Read Karen’s full story.
Aid for Women. In the Chicago metropolitan area, one out of four pregnancies ends in abortion. Aid for Women helps thousands of women each year in the Chicago metropolitan area who find themselves facing unexpected pregnancy. Each woman is provided with the emotional, practical and spiritual support that she needs to choose life for her unborn baby and to provide a better future for her and her child. Their life-affirming services are offered free-of-charge.
Meet Janessa. She was 19 years old when she learned she was pregnant. She didn’t have a support system to help her through this. Aid for Women moved Janessa into Heather’s House where she found her support system in the other young mothers going through the same thing. She is currently enrolled in college, preparing a better life for herself and her baby. See Janessa’s complete story.
Electronics Collection. Through their partnership with Cellular Recycler, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, receives a portion of the sale from donated, refurbished electronics. These funds are used to support NCADV’s programming to support victims of domestic abuse as well as their advocates and allies. Please look for collection bins in our worship site vestibules between June 13th and 19th. Download a list of frequently asked questions. Below are the accepted items for donation:
OLBS Domestic Violence Awareness. Did you know that approximately 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will experience rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner? Domestic Violence Awareness Ministers help to bring attention to this important issue. Discover more (scroll down to Domestic Violence Awareness Ministry).
To support these agencies, you may:
Thank you for helping to support A Season for Life, but moreover, thank you for working to build a culture that honors and protects life from conception until natural death. Discover more (scroll down to Respect Life Ministry).
Questions? Contact the parish office (847) 979-0901 or info@olbsegv.org.